Well... I had just turned 16 years old in 1980, and I was dying to have my own car. Not just any car... it had to be a "cool" car.
I didn't have much money, but my parents said if I came up with the cash that they would go along and sign the paperwork. Searching the classified with my meager savings I found a '68 Chevelle for $175 with a 350 and a powerglide.
My Dad and I went to look at it that afternoon. It definitely was going to need help, but my Dad said that there wasn't anything wrong with it that couldn't be fixed. Dad was never a hot rodder, but he always maintained his own vehicles and had worked briefly in a body shop as a teenager before joining the Navy.
We took it on a test drive, and a couple of blocks into it the car died and wouldn't restart. I'm sure I must have flooded it and drained the battery trying to re-start it.
The owner showed up with another car and we towed it back to his house.
Being the shrewd businessman that I was, I promptly offered him $150 and he accepted.
Well, a rope tow later it was home.
After 6 months of replacing body parts and slinging Bondo, it was ready for paint. (A neighbors brother painted it for the cost of materials),I then rebuilt the heads in autoshop, added dual exhaust, installed air shocks, mounted 5 slots, a pair of Posi-traction brand 60's on the rear(remember those?), a cheap AM/FM/cassette deck and a pair of Jensen 6x9's in the rear deck, a pair of "Dirty, Mean, and Nasty" mudflaps AND matching floormats (mudflaps? What the hell?) and I was ready to cruise.
